BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The voter turnout in Negros Occidental during last week’s elections was at 1.3 million or 83 percent of the 1.6 million registered voters in the province.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Negros Occidental elections supervisor Atty. Roberto Salazar said the figures were based on data gathered from the certificates of canvass generated by the poll body’s Consolidation and Canvassing System (CCS).
However, Salazar was unable to say if the turnout was higher or lower than the voter turnout in the presidential elections of 2016.
Still, he said, voter turnout is usually higher during presidential elections than during midterm elections.
Meanwhile, Salazar said the reshuffled officials of Comelec were expected to return to their previous assignments next month, June 9.
Salazar himself would resume his post as elections supervisor of Aklan province.
Atty. Ian Lee Ananoria would return as head of the Comelec in Negros Occidental.
Ananoria is currently assigned in Iloilo.
The election period will end on June 8.
In a related development, the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) reported lesser crimes in the region during the May 9 polls compared to those recorded in the past two elections.
Only a total of 24 crimes were monitored on election day.
During the voting day in 2016, 125 crimes were recorded while in the 2019 midterm polls, 62 were reported.
Of this year’s total, only three incidents were among the eight focus crimes, which were crimes against persons and property, while in 2019, there were 12 and in 2016, there were 26 of such crimes on election day./PN
